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Hong Kong China Rugby
SportRugby

Back-to-back Asia Rugby Championship crowns for Hong Kong as they pummel South Korea in final test

  • The men’s squad finish undefeated in the tournament, notching 212 points over four games while only conceding 37
  • Hong Kong won their second consecutive title as Japan sat out the tournament for the second year in a row

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Hong Kong notched their second consecutive Asia Rugby Championship on Saturday at the Hong Kong Football Club. Photo: Edmond So
Patrick Blennerhassett

In the end, Andrew Hall’s boys left little doubt. Hong Kong’s men’s 15-a-side rugby squad tore a strip off South Korea in the final match of the Asia Rugby Championship, blitzing their way to a 64-3 win in blistering heat on Saturday afternoon at the Hong Kong Football Club.

Captain James Cunningham said they had a definite goal heading into the match, one they accomplished with flying colours.

“Going into the week our main focus was no tries, and we achieved that,” said the 29-year-old second row veteran. “And so this is an outstanding result and I think it sends a message to other teams going forward.”

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Jack Neville had two tries in Hong Kong’s final game of the Asia Rugby Championship. Photo: Edmond So
Jack Neville had two tries in Hong Kong’s final game of the Asia Rugby Championship. Photo: Edmond So

Hall echoed his captain’s statement, noting they wanted to plug any leaks defensively first.

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“We wanted to protect our line for the first 40 minutes because when you play against Korea you have to stop them from scoring tries. We always score tries against Korea, and four or five years ago we might be losing 45-30, so it’s no good if you’re scoring 30 points against them. So that was the point when we went to Incheon, and that was the focus today.”

Hong Kong kicked off the tournament beating Korea on home soil in early June 47-10, then came home and had a scare against an upstart Malaysian squad comprised of amateur players. Hong Kong, ranked 24th according to World Rugby, squeaked out a 30-24 win against the 48th ranked team.
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